--- product_id: 187230808 title: "Parable of the Talents" price: "£11.67" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/187230808-parable-of-the-talents store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Parable of the Talents **Price:** £11.67 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Parable of the Talents - **How much does it cost?** £11.67 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/187230808-parable-of-the-talents) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From a celebrated author, the thrilling sequel to The Parable of the Sower —a cautionary novel ahead of its time, perfect for fans of The Broken Earth trilogy. In 2032, Lauren Olamina has survived the destruction and ruin of everything she knew. Her peaceful community based on her newly founded faith, Earthseed, provides refuge for outcasts facing persecution after the election of an ultra-conservative president. Under his rule, Lauren's colony—a minority religious faction led by a young Black woman—becomes a target for the president’s reign of terror and oppression. Years later, Asha Vere reads the journals of a mother she never knew. As she searches for answers, she struggles to reconcile with the legacy of a mother caught between her duty to her chosen family and her calling to lead humankind into a better future. "In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler's 'Parable' books may be unmatched."— The New Yorker Review: True Genius at Work Here - Butler's pair of Earthseed novels (Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents) are pure genius. In "Sower," Butler introduces us to Lauren Olamina, a teenage girl with a crippling sense of "hyperempathy" coming of age in a crime-ridden, economically depressed suburb of Los Angeles. She believes she has discovered a way for humanity to lift itself out of madness and travel to the stars. Indeed, she believes that this is humanity's destiny and only hope. She calls this path to salvation "Earthseed." When Olamina's cul-de-sac neighborhood is invaded and destroyed by a drug-crazed mob, Olamina finds herself on the road to the North. Along the way she gathers followers and allies, and begins to teach others her creed. "Earthseed" is a powerful story of a young woman coming into adulthood, with themes of religion, philosphy, race and womanhood. Olamina is of "mixed" parentage, with a black father and white mother. Her companions on the road are various shades of black, brown and white skin. They speak mostly English, but some also speak Spanish and other languages. In short, they are typical Americans. The first novel follows the well-trodden path of the post-apocalyptic journey, with one important difference - the apocalypse is happening all around Olamina as she travels north. The further she gets from LA, the worse the disintegration of society. There is hope that a new President will help set things right, but the one who is elected is a hard right-wing Christian who promises to "Make America Great Again." (This novel was written in 1990's, long before Trump became President.) "The Parable of the Sower" ends with Olamina marrying a much older man and starting a community in the woods, far from any large cities or towns. There is a sense of sweetness and hope. It looks like Earthseed will flourish and grow in the Northern forest. "Parable of the Talents" picks up where "Sower" left off, but the story is told partly from the point of view of Olamina's grown daughter, who sees her mother in a critical light. Olamina's community is invaded (again) by fanatic white Christians, who enslave the village, rape the women systematically and viciously beat and torture anyone who tries to fight back. The slaves are fitted with collars that can be used to deliver painful shocks, and which will kill the slaves if they try to escape. The villagers are forced to attend church services and memorize Bible passages. Some of the villagers eventually turn against the others. Olamina tries desperately to keep her community together, and with the help of the other women, plans their escape. "Talents" is a much deeper and thougtful novel. Butler gives Olamina and her family a complex story and vibrant human characters. Although Olamina is seen by her followers as a kind of saint, to her daughter she is a selfish, deluded idealist who abandoned her daughter in search of fame. Olamina's brother, a former slave prostitute, grows into a conservative Christian patriot, who joins the church that destroyed the first Earthseed village and so terribly abused its people. Even when shown clear evidence of the evil done in the name of his religion, he refuses to give up the Church. He tracks down Olamina's daughter, who was stolen by the Church, and raises her to adulthood, keeping the girl apart from her mother, and lying to them both. Both of these novels are terrific, and together they form one of the best science fiction stories I have ever read. Review: Phenomenal follow up to Parable of the Sower - Must read! - Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents have been on my must-read list for years, and finally found time to read both over the summer. Both fantastic stories in their own right and well worth reading for anyone engaged and interested in the many issues we currently face as a society. Phenomenally well-written by Octavia Butler, a renowned science fiction writer with the most amazing instinct for addressing (almost 30 years ago!) issues that we are now facing with climate change, uber-rich/poverty wealth inequality, white supremacy/fascism, and use of MAGA Christianity to “Make America Great Again”. Incredible that Butler could have foreseen the MAGA threat decades ago, citing the slogan in the novel. Butler was a brilliant writer and these novels do not disappoint. Just wish she had completed Parable of the Trickster, her planned third installment! The two novels stand strongly together, but I could easily have read another in the series. She’s just that good. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #4,635 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in Black & African American Science Fiction (Books) #36 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Books) #56 in Dystopian Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 10,797 Reviews | ## Images ![Parable of the Talents - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71hZTSEhioL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ True Genius at Work Here *by S***E on July 16, 2019* Butler's pair of Earthseed novels (Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents) are pure genius. In "Sower," Butler introduces us to Lauren Olamina, a teenage girl with a crippling sense of "hyperempathy" coming of age in a crime-ridden, economically depressed suburb of Los Angeles. She believes she has discovered a way for humanity to lift itself out of madness and travel to the stars. Indeed, she believes that this is humanity's destiny and only hope. She calls this path to salvation "Earthseed." When Olamina's cul-de-sac neighborhood is invaded and destroyed by a drug-crazed mob, Olamina finds herself on the road to the North. Along the way she gathers followers and allies, and begins to teach others her creed. "Earthseed" is a powerful story of a young woman coming into adulthood, with themes of religion, philosphy, race and womanhood. Olamina is of "mixed" parentage, with a black father and white mother. Her companions on the road are various shades of black, brown and white skin. They speak mostly English, but some also speak Spanish and other languages. In short, they are typical Americans. The first novel follows the well-trodden path of the post-apocalyptic journey, with one important difference - the apocalypse is happening all around Olamina as she travels north. The further she gets from LA, the worse the disintegration of society. There is hope that a new President will help set things right, but the one who is elected is a hard right-wing Christian who promises to "Make America Great Again." (This novel was written in 1990's, long before Trump became President.) "The Parable of the Sower" ends with Olamina marrying a much older man and starting a community in the woods, far from any large cities or towns. There is a sense of sweetness and hope. It looks like Earthseed will flourish and grow in the Northern forest. "Parable of the Talents" picks up where "Sower" left off, but the story is told partly from the point of view of Olamina's grown daughter, who sees her mother in a critical light. Olamina's community is invaded (again) by fanatic white Christians, who enslave the village, rape the women systematically and viciously beat and torture anyone who tries to fight back. The slaves are fitted with collars that can be used to deliver painful shocks, and which will kill the slaves if they try to escape. The villagers are forced to attend church services and memorize Bible passages. Some of the villagers eventually turn against the others. Olamina tries desperately to keep her community together, and with the help of the other women, plans their escape. "Talents" is a much deeper and thougtful novel. Butler gives Olamina and her family a complex story and vibrant human characters. Although Olamina is seen by her followers as a kind of saint, to her daughter she is a selfish, deluded idealist who abandoned her daughter in search of fame. Olamina's brother, a former slave prostitute, grows into a conservative Christian patriot, who joins the church that destroyed the first Earthseed village and so terribly abused its people. Even when shown clear evidence of the evil done in the name of his religion, he refuses to give up the Church. He tracks down Olamina's daughter, who was stolen by the Church, and raises her to adulthood, keeping the girl apart from her mother, and lying to them both. Both of these novels are terrific, and together they form one of the best science fiction stories I have ever read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Phenomenal follow up to Parable of the Sower - Must read! *by M***K on August 13, 2025* Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents have been on my must-read list for years, and finally found time to read both over the summer. Both fantastic stories in their own right and well worth reading for anyone engaged and interested in the many issues we currently face as a society. Phenomenally well-written by Octavia Butler, a renowned science fiction writer with the most amazing instinct for addressing (almost 30 years ago!) issues that we are now facing with climate change, uber-rich/poverty wealth inequality, white supremacy/fascism, and use of MAGA Christianity to “Make America Great Again”. Incredible that Butler could have foreseen the MAGA threat decades ago, citing the slogan in the novel. Butler was a brilliant writer and these novels do not disappoint. Just wish she had completed Parable of the Trickster, her planned third installment! The two novels stand strongly together, but I could easily have read another in the series. She’s just that good. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent but weighty read *by A***H on August 11, 2022* *POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD* WHOA. This is a great book (and series), but DANG, it's an emotionally destructive read on so many levels. I had to stop for breaks at several points just because it all became too much for me. Ms Butler wrote The Parable of the Talents in 1998, but she totally could have been describing what happened in the 2016 US elections!! 🤯 I feel like Larkin was too harsh in her reflections on her mother Lauren, given everything that Lauren went through and the fact that Larkin was literally stolen from her. Larkin only met her mother 'occasionally' after she found Lauren - when they were in their 30s and 50s, respectively. She had no clue what her mother had done to find her, despite reading her journals, which are only glimpses into the past - and had definitely been brainwashed by Marc (who I pretty much detest). If anything, Larkin had already made up her mind about her mother before they even met, and condemned her without any evidence. It's sad to see the deterioration of the US in the books, which seems to be coming to pass in real life, although without the level of violence and destruction in the book... yet. It's also sad to see that the 'good Christians' are up to their same old, violent BS - trying to convert the heathens by killing the heathen in them to save the person, to paraphrase. Even in a fake future, it never changes. Religious fascists always think their religion is the one and only true faith, and others WILL convert - by any means necessary - or they will die. I think that's what Earthseed's tenets speak to me so much. They're not trying to force anyone to believe in some imaginary being. They are deep truths that we can all see happening around us. Like the saying goes, "the only constant in life is change". There are some bright spots in the series, such as Lauren finding people who loved her, managing to reconnect with her daughter - no matter how strained their relationship was, at least she knew Larkin was alive and doing well, and living to see Earthseed grow and getting to watch the first 'seeds' shoot off into space to fulfill her Destiny. I really wish Ms Butler had lived long enough to finish writing the series because I think books about Earthseed's struggles to create better lives on new planets would have been super cool, with a lot of possibilities to encounter other life forms. Guess we'll have to leave that kind of story to other writers... --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/187230808-parable-of-the-talents](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/187230808-parable-of-the-talents) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-20*